Got our first chicks!!

[truebluexf]

I was planning on australorps and delawares, but there weren't any at the swap...we wound up leaving with 2 lavender orps and a black marans. Good choices??? they are about 4 weeks old and have their feathers...I'll have to get pics later. We still need 2 more birds for our flock, I'd like an australorp (for production) and an easter egger (bc their eggs are cool lol.) We have 3 young children so I wanted good temperaments and high producers...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't have any Marans so I can't really comment on that one. I think you will be happy with her. It is just that I have no experience with Marans. The Orps, Delaware, and Australorp are all good choices.

I'd get the EE also, but EE's are a bit more iffy. They are not a breed so they don't have breed characteristics. The only thing that makes them an EE is they they should have the blue egg gene and might lay a blue or green egg. Sometimes they lay pink or brown. Temperment and how many eggs they lay just depends on what other breeds they have been crossed with. My EE is a very consistent later and lays a fairly large green egg. I'm real pleased with her.

Breeds do have tendencies, but these are not absolute characteristics. What you actually get can vary quite a bit by the individual. There is no way in advance to know what the actual hen will do, but those breeds give you real good odds of getting hens you will be happy with.

 

[Ms.Frizzle]

Orps in general are really docile, and the EE mutts I've had have been 50 50 for tempermant. It kinda depends on what breeds went into them. For the most part, if its a duel purpose breed they are more calm and friendly, though I've had and Ancona rooster be my bestie despite the breed tendancy to be flighty. My black australorp has been really sweet too, although she was hand raised with my batch from McMurray. Thats another thing I've knotcied, the chicks hatched by my chickens aren't as friendly, whereas the incubated/ordered ones have been. They probably got more attention from me, so that is somthing to keep in mind.

 

[truebluexf]

Thanks! I have a question now...they are spending their first night in the new coop -- do they need food and water in there? They are already sleeping.

When do they need roosts? The coop doesn't have all the finishing touches yet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They need food and water after they wake up. Unless they have light, they will not eat in the dark.

I'd put the roosts up pretty quickly. My brooder raised chicks usually do not start roosting until they are 10 to 12 weeks old, but Mama usually starts taking the broody raised chicks to roost around 4 weeks old. If you read other people's experience, that timing can vary all over the place. Your experience will probably be different than mine.

My brooder raised chicks start playing and perching on the roosts at a fairly young age, but I lay a tree limb at an angle up to the roosts so they can walk up that tree limb. But they prefer to sleep in a huddle on the floor until they are older.

Chickens can be creatures of habit. You want them to get in the habit of sleeping on the roosts whenever they are ready to roost instead of getting in the habit of sleeping somewhere else.

I suggest you do not put the nest boxes in there or else leave the nest boxes closed where they cannot get into them until they are in the habit of sleeping on the roosts. When they are transitioning from sleeping on the floor to sleeping on the roosts, I have had some try to sleep in the nest boxes. If you were sure of the age, I'd suggest you open the nest boxes at 16 weeks, but since you are not sure, I'll just say after they are in the habit of sleeping on the roost. And make sure the roost is higher than the nest boxes.

 

[schellie69]

Just a bit of advice if you get more starter pullet please keep the new ones in quarantine for 30 days just to make sure they are healthy. I have BO and I love them I just got to large EE and they are so funny. My 3 bantam EE's are sweet except when they are on the nest. I love Marans and can't wait to get some. I have 2 australorps and they do lay everyday. I think you will have a very pretty egg basket.

 

[mariel37]

I have a 2-month old silver cuckoo maran and she's really cool.

Two days ago, however, I could swear I saw her throw her head back and eek out a very immature crow ...

Sure hoping Liza doesn't turn out to be Larry! Marans lay dark brown eggs and I was looking forward to that!

Guess time will tell.

 

[truebluexf]

Thanks for the roost info! We will get that up in the next couple of days too then! DH worked his tail off this weekend, and some parts were a little more complex than we thought. He has to get a drawer and door to the underside of the coop done (it has a mini-run underneath so we we can use it itself or as a tractor if we ever want to, and then he will get their nice big run done next. I figure the chicks will be ok in a slightly smaller run for a week or so since they are little and there are only 3 of them.) It's coming out so nice though, I can't wait to get some pics up!!! I had read about waiting to put the nests in, which is great for DH anyway since he has a busy few weeks of work ahead (military) and it means he can put off making them and the sliding door that has to go along with them for our access.

I can't wait to get a few more, though I'm not sure how I will manage quarantining them...guess we'll figure something out, maybe a little tiny coop and a temporary divider in the big run? Dh could make a simple little a-frame coop for them I suppose (we are amazingly lucky to be in a neighborhood still being built with a giant scrap wood pile the builder is happy to let everyone pick from since it means he doesn't have to pay to have it hauled away, LOL!)

It's great to hear the australorps lay every day...it makes me wonder if we should skip the ee and get 2 aussie's so I can ensure we have plenty of eggs (even though I really want the colors, food is more important right?)

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
My 3 bantam EE's were the 1st to lay and lay every day with maybe one day a week off. I love the blue egg. I have blue, pink light brown, Med brown and a darker brown. I am waiting to get my marans for the dark chocolate brown egg. I have 2 new EE chicks I can't wait to see what they lay. I am hoping green. I do love all the different color eggs I get.